I zipped out to the "holiday book sale" at the library, which kind of sprang up with about a week's notice, and was really quite tiny but contained a bunch of excellent-condition donated books they had been storing for this occasion (they were also promoting free gift wrapping). I didn't get there until the day was almost over, so not sure what I might have missed, but I did end up going home with The LOTR Official Movie Guide and The Making of the Movie Trilogy to make High School Me (who drooled over all the merchandise) happy. And also because I have been meaning to do an epic rewatch, and this will tempt me and/or make the rewatch more enriching.

Aaaand now I am on a window-shopping spree on eBay, because the GOAL is to find a hardcover copy of Anybody Can Do Anything for Mom that is not in gross condition, which seems to get harder every time I look (current minimum is $25 for a copy with ugly spots on the page, or $35 for one without a dust jacket, and then go north from there). Instead I've found over here is a set of Lynn Hall books that works out to about $2.14 per book I don't already have. And over there is a Pictorial Life Story of Misty book selling at the usual minimum of $20, but it's non-ex-library and in excellent condition AND it comes with a purportedly-rare vintage Wesley Dennis illustration Christmas card! Must...not...bid...

Hey speaking of rare horse books, remember how much I wanted to read Snowman, and how every copy online costs at least $100, and there were no copies in my state's libraries except one they claimed was lost when I tried to get it last year? Well, apparently they found it because I tried requesting it one more time, and...NOW THE MAGICAL, VALUABLE BOOK IS IN MY HANDS. For three weeks. So happy.--------------Anyway, what I wanted to talk about today is the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with The Big Bang Theory now.

It starts out insidiously enough, getting itself syndicated and then spawning itself all over your local TV station at 6:00 and 9:00, two times I am most likely to want to watch TV and find nothing else on. When I want TV as a relaxation device, almost any comedy will do (the only ones that have failed across the board so far are Family Guy and Modern Family). CBS comedies especially have the edge, for unknown reasons other than possibly a sprinkling of magic fairy dust. So yeah. Sometimes you see without meaning to and go, "Oh yeah, I remember when fandom was obsessed with that show."

And then you start seeing more and more reruns with A.F.F. and Bernadette and you're like, "Man, these ladies are awesome." It gets to the point where you start watching the new episodes as part of your Thursday Evening Relaxation Routine, and then when that's not enough episodes every week, you add the syndicated ones to your nightly lineup multiple nights per week. And maybe at one point you see an episode where Sheldon adopts 20 cats and it kind of strikes a turning point in your feelings on the character.

Then suddenly, you feel the urge to watch more than one episode at once, and the internet isn't reliable, so you give Wikipedia a quick glance to see which season most closely matches the fun reruns you've been seeing lately, and decide to go check season 3 out of the library. Despite vague feelings of guilt because your boyfriends hates this show and the way it "perpetuates unflattering stereotypes" of geeks and geek culture, and until very recently you shared a mutual bond of dislike.

I watched the entire season in 4 days.

Feelings On Season 3(I almost didn't want to do this, because this is the first time I've had any semblance of chronology whatsoever. Between watching the new episodes -- which are apparently in season 7?? -- and syndication running two seasons at once and me not watching every night, I never have any idea where we are. This also, I feel, proves the theory of "sitcoms don't decline in quality*, your taste does via overexposure," because everything seems the same and equally funny to me. Which I like.)[*they do a little bit, eventually, but it almost always takes at least 7 years. For instance, Friends? Awesome to the end, minus the misadventures of Joey/Rachel.]

Negative constants in life: Howard is creepy and pervy, which at least tells me the actor was well cast in Dr. Horrible; Raj is perpetually 10 years old and quickly grates on the nerves.

BUT, I pretty much like everything else? I especially love stuff that I absorbed via osmosis when this show was All The Rage on TV news sites, particularly the now-defunct one I lived on, TV Squad. "We've got Katee Sackhoff!" was one (though at this point, I think this confirms that as much as I theoretically want to love Starbuck, I just do not like her acting. She comes across as very wooden), and the other, better one was Will Wheaton. Or rather, Evil Will Wheaton. Evil Will Wheaton may be my very favorite thing about season 3.

-I have always shipped Leonard and Penny, even before I watched this show, based on physical attractiveness (the show not having any properly hot guys) and them both being normal. I've upgraded Leonard's attractiveness level against the backdrop of intelligence and normalcy, so I'm still finding this really delightful and very sweet. I also didn't feel heartbroken when they broke up. Maybe because I know they're getting back together/didn't have to live through it in real time, but I really think that was some pretty excellent handling of a ship it was too early to sign off on permanently. I enjoyed it playing out, but wasn't heavily invested. If they haven't reached the point of love, their romance is not yet infallible and it's fair game for conflict, breakups included.

-I got inordinate amusement out of Penny slipping in the shower and Sheldon having to help her out and take her to the hospital, followed by demands for Soft Kitty. (also, my grudge against Soft Kitty is gone and I now believe it is the greatest lullaby of the 21st century.)

-This season contains the ball pit "bazinga" scene, which makes me laugh RIDICULOUSLY hard. Whoever came up with it is genius. I also love that it just goes on and on and on but never stops being funny.

-Bernadette is one of the prettiest people I've ever seen. How does she do it?? I'm pretty sure the answer involves glasses and adorable outfits.

-Favorite episode is either the One Ring episode (Penny reflexively punching Sheldon in the face is especially great), or the one with flashbacks to when Leonard first moved in with Sheldon.

-The only danger to this show right now, I think, is that it gives me delusions of grandeur that I am the Penny or Bernadette of my relationship, despite the fact that I am not nearly that hot, given that we reflect the personality dynamics of me being prone to leadership and taking charge (after I'm comfortable and confident in a situation), and him tending toward the mild-mannered "happy to follow your lead" personality.

Other times I'm pretty sure I'm just Sheldon re: intimacy, and he is patiently putting up with me for the companionship and limited gestures of affection.

I think I'm just doomed to interpret my entire life through TV shows.

I would like to marathon season 4 now, but apparently this show is still popular enough that I have to wait a whole week to get it. In retrospect, I think I would probably still enjoy season 2, but I really don't think I've seen many early reruns, so the world might feel off.---Also, I am waaay out of date with this, but apparently November Sweeps was a big ol' Thing on CBS and both Person of Interest and NCIS: LA did Something Shocking!

Person of Interest:[spoiler cut A]Like I've never seen an episode of this show, I'm just aware of it because it's in my face all the time, but I did not expect from those previews that that main character would actually end up dying. Those aren't how the rules of crime drama work! You know stuff like that months in advance and it's usually only allowed to happen in May. (this is actually me being pretty impressed at their ability to pull this off and have had it in the plan for basically the whole series)

NCIS: LA: [spoiler cut B]I'M SORRY, ARE YOU SAYING DEEKS AND KENSI ARE ACTUALLY A THING NOW? Like they hooked up and maybe are still together?? I thought we were going to go through a whole year of PTSD-brand UST before we got there. I'm so afraid something went wrong between the time that happened and now that I basically watched the "I want to be at my place with you" scene once -- well, watched it in context once; they played it in the promo like 900 times the week before -- then listened to the next promo to confirm it went where it sounded like it was going, and then sealed myself off from all contact with this show so nothing can spoil this perfect state of bliss I am in.--------I'm understanding that The Mentalist may also have done Something Shocking re: Red John, but I haven't looked it up yet.[eta: now I have]eta: ...never mind. HOLD UP. You're saying you not only Officially Really and For Realsies this time confirmed Who Red John is, you had Smirkypants McGee kill him, you then JUMPED FORWARD TWO YEARS IN TIME and gave that one couple I was only vaguely aware of becoming canon a baby to boot? And Jane/Lisbon did not become canon in the meantime?

I have so many questions! About feelings! Someone who still watches this show should post about it so I can comment at you and we can talk about how you react to it when you've been watching it all along. How much did you know about the giant shakeup that was happening at the most random time of year? Are you feeling cheated out of things? (I would feel cheated out of about two years of OTP marriage + an entire pregnancy, but that's just me) Or is it refreshing? And most importantly, what wicked tidal storm of precedent did CBS unleash upon the landscape of television between this show and Person of Interest?

Ooh, that's good. I don't think bookfinder.com covered that site, which is weird because they are very comprehensive. I like the fact that most of them have photos of the actual book, too. Still not in my price range though, phooey.